


An Offer

by MachineryField



Series: Twisted Ties Verse [1]
Category: Persona Series, Persona | Revelations Persona
Genre: Conversations, F/M, New Job Offer, mentions of the Shadow Ops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-02-18 09:41:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21509002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MachineryField/pseuds/MachineryField
Summary: When Kei approached Reiji a week before Takashi’s tenth birthday, he knew something had to be up.
Relationships: Kido Reiji/Kirishima Eriko
Series: Twisted Ties Verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1538233
Kudos: 14





	An Offer

**Author's Note:**

> What can I say except something about this AU is giving me a lot of muse?

When Kei approached Reiji a week before Takashi’s tenth birthday, he knew something had to be up. 

Usually, if he needed something, he would drop by his house. Come in, chat a while over tea and humor Eriko’s most recent occult interest… But he was approaching in the middle of the day, while Reiji was on lunch break.

“...Nanjo.” He set down his sandwich with a sigh. “What do you need?”

“You can eat while we talk, no reason to starve yourself.” Kei gestured towards the sandwich. “I’m simply here to offer you a… deal.”

“A deal?” He rose an eyebrow, arms crossed. “What kinda deal are we talkin’?”

“A deal that gets you out of this job and into one you’ll be more… comfortable in.” Kei cleared his throat. “However, that doesn’t mean it’s free of its own risks.”

Reiji rubbed his temples, eyes closed. “...What kinda job is it?”

“You and I both know very well that demons -- or I suppose they’re Shadows now -- are still running rampant…” Kei sucked in a breath. “And we both know you’re a bit better at, ah, dealing with those than humans…”

“You offerin’ me a job fighting Shadows or something?” Reiji furrowed his brow. “...You know I have a kid, right? I can’t just be risking my life like that.”

“I know, that’s why I want you to think on it… You and Eriko both.”

Reiji grit his teeth. “Both of us? Are you trying to orphan Takashi?!”

“Please, just wait for me to explain.” Kei shook his head. “I won’t force either of you, but I ask you both listen to me.”

“...When will you come by to talk?”

“Tonight, after Takashi should be in bed.” Kei paused. “If that works for you.”

“...Eriko and I can make it work.”

“Good.” He turned on his heel. “I’ll leave you to your lunch, then. See you later tonight.”

“See ya…” 

When Kei was gone, Reiji heaved another sigh, packing back up the remnants of his meal. He didn’t exactly feel hungry anymore…

\--

“Kei really offered you a job like that?” Eriko turned to look at her husband, brow furrowed in confusion. “And he’s going to offer that to me, too…?”

“Sounds like it…” Reiji sighed, leaning against the wall. “I don’t like it. If I didn’t have Takashi… I’d probably jump on the chance. But with the kid…”

“Reiji.” Eriko’s voice was quiet. “Would you enjoy your work more if it was something like hunting down Shadows?”

“...Probably, but…” He swallowed hard, looking her in the eyes. “I can’t imagine leaving you and Takashi alone.”

Eriko giggled. “Don’t be silly! I know you’d make it out of anything thrown at you… Besides, who says I’d let you do it alone?”

“Eriko, you can’t be serious…” Reiji shook his head. “Are you saying that if I take the job, you take it too?”

“I am!” She got all starry eyed, hands clasped together. “Oh, being able to communicate with these Shadows, see if they’re anything like demons… That sounds like a dream!”

Aaaand he should’ve seen that coming, all things considered. “Will you take the job if I don’t?”

“...I might, honestly.” Eriko gave him a small smile. “It just sounds like such an interesting job…”

“Yeah, I don’t blame you.” He pushed himself off the wall, placing a kiss on Eriko’s forehead. “Totally normal life just isn’t what we’re cut out for, huh?”

“I suppose not…” Eriko looked towards their son’s door. “You think Takashi will be the same way?”

Reiji groaned, running a hand down his face. “God, I hope not.”

A snort was the reply he got. “Oh, Reiji…”

Reiji held his hands up with a frown. “What? Can’t I want my son to have a normal ass life after all the shit we’ve been through?”

“Well, he can, but with parents like us… Would he want that?”

“Maybe we’ll be too big a pair of weirdos for him to want to be anything like us, you don’t know!”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Reiji…”

“Hey--”

A sharp knock on the door cut Reiji off. Looked like Kei was here, huh? Great, it was time to hear him out and see if the siren song of something he’d actually be good at got to him or not.

“I’ll get the door…” Eriko walked past him and he took a seat on the couch, trying to keep himself calm. He needed to be logical about this, not emotional…

“Reiji, good to see you again.” Kei nodded towards him before taking a seat in a chair across from the couch. Eriko followed after, skirting around Reiji to sit next to him. “I heard from Eriko that you’ve already explained the basics?”

He nodded. “Yeah, can’t keep things from my wife, y’know?”

“...Fair enough.” He shifted uncomfortably before placing a file on the coffee table between them. “I’m sure at least one of you have heard of the Kirijo Group?”

“They split off from the Nanjo Group, didn’t they?” Reiji furrowed his brow. He’d only really heard about it in passing from Naoya, so…

Kei nodded. “That’s correct.”

“They still work with your group, no?” Eriko tilted her head to the side. “What was that motto…? Two in Harmony Surpasses One in Perfection…?”

“That's correct, as well.” Kei opened the file, revealing a photo of a red haired woman. She looked firm, almost reminded Reiji of Yukino in a weird way… “This is Mitsuru Kirijo, the current head of the Kirijo Group. She recently approached me with a proposition.”

“Proposition?”

“She’s decided to found a group known as The Shadow Operatives, to deal with Shadow activity around Japan. She approached me, due to my own past with Personas and related challenges and offered me a spot in the organization.”

“Let me guess…” Reiji looked over the image of Mitsuru. “You said yes?”

“On one condition, yes.” He gave a small nod. “I’d have my own team within the Operatives, that I would be in control of. Meaning I would decide what missions they go out on and when they’re to be left out.”

“I see…” Eriko hummed. “This woman doesn’t look as if she would easily agree to that, though…”

“It took a while, but I finally got her to agree. She just has to sign off on any major decision I make, as far as who I send goes.” He deflated a bit. “Though she refused to give the rank of one to me…”

Reiji knew being the number one man was important to Kei, but damn, really? He’d tried to get the number one spot in another lady’s organization? That was pretty damn ballsy, he had to admit.

“So, you here to recruit us into your little team, I’m guessing…” Reiji glanced at Eriko. “Better pay than what I got right now?”

“Better pay for you, but Eriko’s talk show appearances would likely outweigh the payment, still.” Kei crossed his arms. “Which is why I’m offering you a full time position and Eriko a part time one.”

Eriko deflated a bit at that. “Oh, I see… Well, that would mean less chances of Takashi being home without one of us.”

“That’s another reason for it, yes.” Kei nodded. “I’ll make sure you two aren’t on the field together for the sake of Takashi and, well…”

“Well?” Reiji rose an eyebrow.

Kei’s mouth opened and closed a few times as he clearly went through one or ten ways to word what he wanted to say. “...I’d rather avoid the risk of you two distracting each other on missions. Your love for each other and fine and all, but it could put one or both of you at risk if you let your guard down.”

“I guess that makes enough sense…” Reiji sat back, doing his best to not come across as annoyed that Kei would think either of them wouldn’t have laser focus on any mission given to them. “Anything else we should know?”

“Well, if you accept…” He flipped Mitsuru’s picture over to a document or twelve. “You’ll both have to fill out these forms and survive an interview with Kirijo herself.”

“Survive…?” Eriko frowned a bit. “You make her sound so menacing, Kei!”

“Well, for you, you might do fine. You can match her wits, grace, and eccentricity… Reiji, on the other hand…” Kei glanced at him. “Only really can match her eccentricity.”

“If you’re here to insult me, I can give you a no right now.”

“Reiji…”

“No, no…” Kei shook his head. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way, you’re both just… Very different kinds of people. If you accept this job, I’ll have to prepare you down to every sound that comes out of your mouth.”

“...So the salesman act cranked up to eleven?”

“With no room for breaks in character, yes.”

“Well, I think I’ll take you up on your offer!” Eriko smiled at him. “I think this all sounds very doable, after all.”

“Very well.” He nodded before looking to Reiji. “And you?”

Reiji looked between the two, Takashi’s door, and the papers on the coffee table. Well, he’d told himself he would go based off logic, but his heart was yearning to go out there and blow off some steam (should he survive this interview)...

“Sure, sign me up.”


End file.
